Article ID: 928386
Article Last Modified on 4/17/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002
- Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)
INTRODUCTION
This article discusses the following:
- Settings that are restored to the default setting when you use the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool to deploy a computer
- Sysprep functions and restrictions
- Known issues that occur when you run Sysprep
For more information about Sysprep, see the OEM Preinstallation Kit User's Guide.
MORE INFORMATION
Settings that are restored to their default settings
The following settings are restored to their default settings when you use Sysprep to deploy the computer.
System properties
- Computer name
- Active Directory directory service or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 domain membership status
- Drive letter assignment
Note The drive letter is assigned to the first recognized partitions in the order that they appear during installation.
- Settings in the Startup and Recovery area on the Advanced tab of the computer properties dialog box
- Duration of time to display the dump configuration and the operating systems list
- Virtual memory settings in the Performance area on the Advanced tab of the computer properties dialog box
- Drive settings that are related to the system restore operation on the System Restore tab of the computer properties dialog box
Disk and file systems
- All functions that are stored in Storage Provider
- User rights settings in the Documents and Settings\Default User folder
- Disk quota settings for local users
- Hard-coded values that are stored for drive letters
- Short file names for paths
Network and dial-up connection settings
- Modem settings
- Wireless network connections
- Network bridge connections
- Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server
- Network adapter settings in the virtual PCI bus
Applications that are embedded together with Windows settings
- Subscription information in Internet Explorer
- Autocomplete information in Internet Explorer
- Saved passwords in Internet Explorer
- Microsoft Outlook Express mail server or directory server passwords that are initialized
- Settings for Internet Options on the Security tab in Internet Explorer
Regional and language options
- Input language settings
- Keyboard in the Installed services settings on the Languages tab of Regional and Language Options
- Languages that do not support Unicode settings on the Advanced tab of Regional and Language Options
System-specific settings
- Private database files
- Stored computer-specific information
- Active Directory information that is stored on the local computer
- Local computer information that is stored in Active Directory
- Unique certificate information to install each Windows-based computer
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) information
- Other items, such as Windows-specific variables in the private data store that are unique for each computer and for each installation or variables that change when you transfer Windows to different hardware
Hardware and device drivers
- Network adapter drivers without digital signatures are replaced by the latest drivers that have a digital signatures
- Power options
- Other information about peripheral equipment that is installed on a computer, such as serial numbers, asset tags, or vendor tags
- Network hardware information, such as media access control information, GUID information, or serial numbers
Other settings
- Desktop icons
- Screen saver settings
- Start settings for a service
- Service pack source paths
- Local user names or group names that are hard-coded
- %systemdrive%, %userprofile%, or other values that are hard-coded
Other modifications that are made by Sysprep
- Shortcuts may be added or removed from the desktop
- Old fonts, such as the Gulim.ttf and Simsun.ttf fonts, are replaced by the .ttc format font file
- Real-time clock in the BIOS may be set back one hour
Sysprep functions and restrictions
| KB Number | Title | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 271369 | Statically-entered TCP/IP settings are not present after Sysprep | Settings |
| 820936 | Windows Media Player shortcut is added to the desktop after you run Sysprep | Settings |
| 899855 | The BIOS real-time clock is set back one hour after you deploy a Windows XP System Preparation image to a computer | Settings |
| 928543 | How to automatically assign a drive letter by using the Diskpart.exe command | Settings |
| 912825 | You notice that certain hardware component settings are either reset or missing in a Windows XP-based Sysprep image after you deploy the image | Settings |
| 811428 | Event ID 7011 messages and computer stops responding after you install Windows XP by using the Sysprep utility | General |
| 815229 | When using sysprep.exe, passwords cannot be saved | General |
| 837494 | You are prompted for the product key while the Windows XP Setup program is running, although you use an answer file that contains a product key | General |
| 903262 | A Windows 2000-based or Windows XP-based computer that was set up by using a Windows 2000 or Windows XP image does not appear in the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) console | General |
Known issues
| KB Number | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 299899 | Setting the ClearType option for an Unattend setup does not work | Fixed (Windows XP Service Pack 1) |
| 307316 | Volume License product ID is revealed during the Sysprep.exe Mini-Setup wizard | Fixed (Windows XP Service Pack 1) |
| 316134 | You cannot log on to Windows XP after running the Out-of-Box Experience | Fixed (Windows XP Service Pack 1) |
| 308402 | "The password is not valid" error message appears when you log on to Recovery Console in Windows XP | Fixed |
| 317086 | The AutoAdminLogon feature does not work after you use Sysprep | Fixed |
| 319928 | Microsoft links do not appear in the MFU List after you run Sysprep on a Windows XP Multilingual User Interface Pack Build | Fixed |
| 322936 | Joining a Sysprep.exe image of Windows XP creates duplicate computer accounts in Active Directory | Fixed |
| 812599 | Opportunistic locking may not be granted if Windows is installed by using Sysprep | Fixed |
| 815496 | The Sysprep tool does not correctly clean information in the "Protected Storage System Provider" key | Fixed |
| 827385 | IIS settings are missing after you run Sysprep with the -nosidgen command-line switch | Fixed |
| 831783 | Security policies are not applied to a RIS or Sysprep deployed image of Windows XP on first start | Fixed |
| 836872 | You receive error messages when you run programs that use common language runtime version 1.0 on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition | Fixed |
| 838271 | Sysprep changes the computer name from lower case letters to upper case letters when deploying Windows XP | Fixed (Windows XP Service Pack 2) |
| 883667 | Windows XP Setup program may stop responding during video driver installation | Fixed (Windows XP Service Pack 2) |
| 887816 | Changes in behavior of the SysPrep and RIPREP tools after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 | Fixed |
| 888239 | The Welcome music and video do not play during the Out-Of-Box Experience Wizard after you use a Sysprep image to distribute Windows XP Service Pack 2 | Fixed |
| 889073 | The IIS and SMTP services do not start when you deploy a Windows XP SP2 Sysprep image on your Windows XP SP2-based computer | Fixed |
| 894871 | When you use the System Preparation tool and the Sysprep.inf file to update drivers on a Microsoft Windows XP image, the File Signature Verification tool may report that some drivers are not digitally signed | Fixed |
| 900336 | Sysprep.exe may generate duplicate computer names when you use Sysprep.exe to deploy Windows Server 2003 on a computer network | Fixed |
| 910678 | The Sysprep MiniSetup Wizard may stop responding when you run the wizard to install a Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 image | Fixed |
| 920293 | You cannot configure a network adapter that resides on a virtual bus to use a static IP address in an automated deployment of Windows Server 2003 | Fixed |
| 283079 | No mouse or keyboard response during Sysprep mini-Setup | Not fixed |
| 309433 | You Cannot Change the Default User Interface Language After You Run Sysprep | Not fixed |
| 313111 | Scheduled tasks may not start if you used a System Preparation image to install Windows XP or Windows 2000 | Not fixed |
| 314940 | Event ID 7005 When You Use Sysprep.exe with the -mini Switch | Not fixed |
| 823729 | Sysprep May Not Consistently Apply the Per-User Settings That Are Specified in Winbom.ini | Not fixed |
| 894570 | Sysprep does not update the DevicePath value in the registry with information from OemPnpDriversPath in Windows XP Professional | Not fixed |
| 897098 | The DHCPClassID option is not transmitted correctly over the network connection if you use the System Preparation tool (Sysprep.exe) DHCPClassID option to deploy a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer | Not fixed |
| 908578 | You are unexpectedly prompted to enter the product key when you run the Out of Box Experience Wizard in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 | Not fixed |
| 908784 | New users are still limited by the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration component in Windows Server 2003 after this component is removed | Not fixed |
| 837790 | Factory mode customizations are lost when you run the Out Of Box Experience Wizard | Fixed |
How to use Sysprep
| KB Number | Title | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 288326 | Sysprep.inf file is not read from floppy disk | Settings |
| 294799 | The Search Path order for the Winbom.ini file when you run Sysprep | Settings |
| 298503 | Driver signing registry values cannot be modified directly in Windows | Settings |
| 303786 | Missing [SysprepMassStorage] section causes STOP 0x7B error message on Windows XP Sysprep images | Settings |
| 307543 | Preventing Sysprep from Removing Default and Custom Desktop Icons and Shortcuts | Settings |
| 811428 | Event ID 7011 messages and computer stops responding after you install Windows XP by Using the Sysprep Utility | Settings |
| 813138 | Description of the KeepPageFile= setting for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 | Settings |
| 818171 | "An Error Has Been Encountered That Prevents Setup from Continuing" error message when Sysprep Mini Wizard runs | Settings |
| 837691 | Hardware devices not installed in Sysprep image | Settings |
| 838856 | Windows stops responding when you try to install Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 by using a Sysprep image | Settings |
| 282190 | Description of new features in Sysprep for Windows XP | General |
| 308554 | "Error 0x80040605 Re-arming" error message when you try to run Riprep.exe or Sysprep.exe on Windows XP | General |
| 314460 | System Preparation tool and answer file usage | General |
| 321070 | How to disable the Mini-Setup Wizard on a Windows XP-based computer on which you used Sysprep | General |
| 828287 | Unsupported Sysprep scenarios | General |
| 830958 | Summary of the limitations of the System Preparation tool | General |
| 838080 | Updated System Preparation tool for Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 | General |
| 899356 | How to access the "Preserving OEM Pre-Activation when Re-installing Windows XP" white paper for Windows XP | General |
REFERENCES
For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
314472 Quick guide to preinstalling Windows
820885 Default desktop icons are removed when you use the DoDesktopCleanUp entry with Sysprep
888372 You receive a “Stop 0x0000007E” error message after you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a non-Intel-processor-based computer
Keywords: kbinfo kbhowto kbsyspreptool kbexpertiseinter KB928386
